Spain beat Russia 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 19-17) - duration 2:18
14-Aug, start time: 18:00, end time: 20:18 - Attendance: 2,250Spain astonish with a five set victory over mighty Russia
Spain and Russia delivered the kind of high class Volleyball on Wednesday night that the World League has become famous for. The Spanish team played very well, assisted by the considerable skills of outside hitter Falasca and de la Fuente, the top scorer for his side. With an almost perfect combination of block and defense, Spain drove the Russians to a five-set thriller that they eventually won 19-17 in the tiebreaker. When the Spanish block let them down they quickly retaliated. Prenafeta, the Spanish setter, received and distributed the ball with lightning speed. The Russian blockers seemed powerless to stop the Spanish Armada. They fought for every shot and chased every ball with relentless energy. Russia substituted to try to shore up their defense, but it was not enough. Spain were devastating in the final set, despite an early lead by Russia after four nervous errors. They came back strongly and hung on until they had won the match.Spanish coach Francisco Hervas called it a historic victory for Spain, only their second against Russia after one in the 1999 World Cup." But this is the most important, because it shows that Spanish Volleyball is growing and will be in the same level as the best teams in the world," Hervas said.Cosme Prenafeta, the Spanish captain, said that this victory is a result of the courage of the players. "Tomorrow, we will play with a lot of motivation against Netherlands to get our qualification for the semifinals.Russian coach Guennadi Chipouline said he was disappointed in his new players. He promised that the only way forward is to beat Brazil on Thursday.He said that Spain played very well and congratulated the Spanish coach. Rouslan Oluhkiver said that this loss had pulled the Russian team down. "Tomorrow is another day,"he said I am sure we will win tomorrow, even though we do respect the Brazilians," he said./mh